August 18, 2017

Saturday Links

Typepad was having problems yesterday so I have a bunch of stuff I couldn’t post. I don’t have the time to write up individual posts on everything, but I did want to get the links up here. So this could be the start of a new tradition the Saturday Links Roundup.

CartoonBrew report the passing of cartoonist, illustrator, and one time Disney artistm, Charles McElmurry. McElmurry’s daughter, Jill, has a series of threeposts looking back at her father’s life, work, and family. He was a great man, that’s for sure.

Michael Barrier has been posting actively again. He finally posts his review of Chicken Little and it’s a scathing look at the current state of Walt Disney Feature Animation (hint: he still thinks they’re missing the heart of animation, the story). You’ll also want to read both the New Yorker article on Mary Poppin’s and Barrier’s response to it (for which you’ll have to scroll down to December 15th, as he doesn’t provide links to individual articles).

Hayao Miyazaki’s Studio Ghibli has announced it’s next project. Gedo Senki ("Gedo War History") is an adaptation of Ursula K. Le Guin’s novel "A Wizard of Earthsea," the first book of the award-winning Earthsea cycle. The film will actually be directed by Hayao Miyazaki’s son, Goro. A preview site is already up on the net.

The Wall Street Journal ran an article speculating that one of the reasons the Disney/Pixar talks have been dragging on is that they’re hammering out details of a buyout. Pixar’s valuation is so high, I find a complete buyout unlikely. But perhaps Disney might buy a portion of the company in exchange for giving Steve Jobs’s a spot on Disney’s Board of Directors and closer ties between the three companies (Disney, Apple, and Pixar).

LaughingPlace.com has pictures and video from the Candlelight Processional at Disneyland. This year the narrator was Dick Van Dyke. Wish I could have been there for that.

SeaWorld Orlando announced they have pushed back the opening date for their water park from 2007 to 2008. More time was needed to develop the theme and attractions. Construction is underway across International Drive from the Busch property.

Finally, I wanted to note that the holiday light display I linked to before has been forceably unplugged by the local police. It was creating a driving hazard.